Methods and apparatus for multimodal audience detection and identification

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for multimodal audience detection and identification. An example system disclosed herein includes at least one memory, instructions in the apparatus, and processor circuitry to execute the instructions to: select a portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations; calculate a first representative signal strength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values; and determine a presence of the user based on whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies a threshold.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent arises from a continuation of International Application No.PCT/US2020/048009, filed Aug. 26, 2020, which claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/554,376, filed Aug. 28, 2019. Priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/554,376 and InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2020/048009 is hereby claimed. InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2020/048009 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/554,376 are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to audience monitoring, and, moreparticularly, to methods and apparatus for multimodal audience detectionand identification.

BACKGROUND

Media providers and/or other entities such as advertising companies,broadcast networks, etc., are often interested in the viewing,listening, and/or media behavior of audience members and/or the publicin general. The media usage and/or exposure habits of monitored audiencemembers, as well as demographic data about the audience members, arecollected and used to statistically determine the size and/ordemographics of an audience of interest. To determine the media usageand/or exposure habits of monitored audience members, interestedentities may need to determine what persons were present at a mediadevice during a media presentation on that media device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment of use including an examplesystem for multimodal audience detection and identification.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates an example master proximity device included inthe example system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example advertising packet detector included inthe example master proximity device of FIG. 2B.

FIG. 4 illustrates example operation of the proximity monitor of FIGS.1-3 in combination with a second example proximity monitor.

FIG. 5 is an is a block diagram representing an example implementationof the example proximity monitor of FIGS. 1-3

FIGS. 6-7 are flowcharts representative of machine readable instructionswhich may be executed to implement the proximity monitor of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example processing platform structuredto execute the instructions of FIGS. 6 and/or 7 to implement theproximity monitor of FIGS. 1-3.

The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers orregions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying writtendescription to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent,stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) isin any way on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formedon, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either incontact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above theother part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween.Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined)are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members betweena collection of elements and relative movement between elements unlessotherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarilyinfer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation toeach other. Stating that any part is in “contact” with another partmeans that there is no intermediate part between the two parts. Althoughthe figures show layers and regions with clean lines and boundaries,some or all of these lines and/or boundaries may be idealized. Inreality, the boundaries and/or lines may be unobservable, blended,and/or irregular.

Descriptors “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. are used herein whenidentifying multiple elements or components which may be referred toseparately. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on theircontext of use, such descriptors are not intended to impute any meaningof priority, physical order or arrangement in a list, or ordering intime but are merely used as labels for referring to multiple elements orcomponents separately for ease of understanding the disclosed examples.In some examples, the descriptor “first” may be used to refer to anelement in the detailed description, while the same element may bereferred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as “second” or“third.” In such instances, it should be understood that suchdescriptors are used merely for ease of referencing multiple elements orcomponents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Audio watermarking is a technique used to identify media such astelevision broadcasts, radio broadcasts, advertisements (televisionand/or radio), downloaded media, streaming media, prepackaged media,etc. Existing audio watermarking techniques identify media by embeddingone or more audio codes (e.g., one or more watermarks), such as mediaidentifying information and/or an identifier that may be mapped to mediaidentifying information, into an audio and/or video component. In someexamples, the audio or video component is selected to have a signalcharacteristic sufficient to hide the watermark. As used herein, theterms “code” or “watermark” are used interchangeably and are defined tomean any identification information (e.g., an identifier) that may beinserted or embedded in the audio or video of media (e.g., a program oradvertisement) for the purpose of identifying the media or for anotherpurpose such as tuning (e.g., a packet identifying header). As usedherein “media” refers to audio and/or visual (still or moving) contentand/or advertisements. To identify watermarked media, the watermark(s)are extracted and used to access a table of reference watermarks thatare mapped to media identifying information.

Unlike media monitoring techniques based on codes and/or watermarksincluded with and/or embedded in the monitored media, fingerprint orsignature-based media monitoring techniques generally use one or moreinherent characteristics of the monitored media during a monitoring timeinterval to generate a substantially unique proxy for the media. Such aproxy is referred to as a signature or fingerprint, and can take anyform (e.g., a series of digital values, a waveform, etc.) representativeof any aspect(s) of the media signal(s)(e.g., the audio and/or videosignals forming the media presentation being monitored). A signature maybe a series of signatures collected in series over a timer interval. Agood signature is repeatable when processing the same mediapresentation, but is unique relative to other (e.g., different)presentations of other (e.g., different) media. Accordingly, the term“fingerprint” and “signature” are used interchangeably herein and aredefined herein to mean a proxy for identifying media that is generatedfrom one or more inherent characteristics of the media.

Signature-based media monitoring generally involves determining (e.g.,generating and/or collecting) signature(s) representative of a mediasignal (e.g., an audio signal and/or a video signal) output by amonitored media device and comparing the monitored signature(s) to oneor more references signatures corresponding to known (e.g., reference)media sources. Various comparison criteria, such as a cross-correlationvalue, a Hamming distance, etc., can be evaluated to determine whether amonitored signature matches a particular reference signature. When amatch between the monitored signature and one of the referencesignatures is found, the monitored media can be identified ascorresponding to the particular reference media represented by thereference signature that with matched the monitored signature. Becauseattributes, such as an identifier of the media, a presentation time, abroadcast channel, etc., are collected for the reference signature,these attributes may then be associated with the monitored media whosemonitored signature matched the reference signature. Example systems foridentifying media based on codes and/or signatures are long known andwere first disclosed in Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,294, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

Bluetooth (BLE) enabled devices transmit advertising packets to allowother devices to detect and connect with the Bluetooth enabled devices.Devices receiving the advertising packets can use the received packetsto identify the transmitting device and connect to the transmittingdevice. The signal strength of the advertising packet (and any otherradio signal) at the received device can be measured via a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI). The RSSI of an advertising packet maybe difficult to predict in indoor spaces given signal spreading. Forexample, signal spreading can depend on the configuration of the indoorspace (e.g., room geometry, furniture, etc.), materials and/or movingobstructions (e.g., people, animals, etc.). In some examples, roomconfigurations can cause standing waves (e.g., stationary waves, etc.)to form, further making RSSI values inconsistent. Accordingly, using thesignal strength of Bluetooth advertising packets to monitor audiencepresence can be difficult. While examples disclosed herein are describedwith reference to RSSI values, any other suitable type and/or measure ofsignal strength value can be used instead.

Methods, apparatus and systems disclosed herein monitor audiencepresence using BLE low energy packet scanning. In some examplesdisclosed herein, audience presence monitoring using BLE advertisementpacket scanning is combined with audience presence monitoring usingUltra-wide Band (UWB) radar. In some examples disclosed herein, audiencemembers are tracked by scanning for BLE advertisement packets ondifferent signal polarities on different channels and by using amulti-axis antenna array. In some examples disclosed herein, thedetected signal strengths are sorted and analyzed to determine arepresentative signal strength value. In some examples disclosed herein,multiple devices are positioned in a media presentation area to captureBLE advertising. In some such examples disclosed herein, a dynamicthreshold and a voting mechanism is used to analyze the determinationfrom the multiple devices. In some examples disclosed herein, combiningUWB radar and packet monitoring allows monitoring information to becorrelated with radar detection. Examples disclosed herein improve thereliability of results by reducing false-positive readings and bytracking audience members not wearing BLE compatible personal devices.

As used herein, the term “media” includes any type of content and/oradvertisement delivered via any type of distribution medium. Thus, mediaincludes television programming or advertisements, radio programming oradvertisements, movies, web sites, streaming media, etc.

Example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture disclosed hereinmonitor media presentations at media devices. Such media devices mayinclude, for example, Internet-enabled televisions, personal computers,Internet-enabled mobile handsets (e.g., a smartphone), video gameconsoles (e.g., Xbox®, PlayStation®), tablet computers (e.g., an iPad®),digital media players (e.g., a Roku® media player, a Slingbox®, etc.),etc. In some examples, media monitoring information is aggregated todetermine ownership and/or usage statistics of media devices, relativerankings of usage and/or ownership of media devices, types of uses ofmedia devices (e.g., whether a device is used for browsing the Internet,streaming media from the Internet, etc.), and/or other types of mediadevice information. In examples disclosed herein, monitoring informationincludes, but is not limited to, media identifying information (e.g.,media-identifying metadata, codes, signatures, watermarks, and/or otherinformation that may be used to identify presented media), applicationusage information (e.g., an identifier of an application, a time and/orduration of use of the application, a rating of the application, etc.),and/or user-identifying information (e.g., demographic information, auser identifier, a panelist identifier, a username, etc.).

FIG. 1 is an illustrates an example environment 100 including an examplesystem 101 for multimodal audience detection and identification. Theexample environment 100 includes an example media presentation area 102,an example non-presentation area 103 and an example user 104 possessingan example mobile device 106. The example system 101 includes an examplemaster proximity device 108 with an example signal strength monitor 109,an example auxiliary proximity device 110, and an example media monitor112 associated with an example media presentation device 114.

The example media presentation area 102 is a physical space where mediais presented by the media presentation device 114. The examplenon-presentation area 103 is a physical space associated with the mediapresentation area 102 but where the media presented by the mediapresentation device 114 is not viewable/audible. In the illustratedexample of FIG. 1, the areas 102, 103 are rooms in the home of theexample user 104. In other examples, the environment 100, the examplemedia presentation area 102, the example non-presentation area 103 canbe any area in which media is presented (e.g., public transit, abusiness, etc.). In some examples, the media presentation area 102 maycontain physical objects that may interfere with the transmission ofsignals (e.g., furniture, etc.). In some examples, the mediapresentation area 102 can be configured in a manner that determining theorigin of a signal emitted therein difficult. For example, the mediapresentation area 102 can be configured in a manner that allows standingwaves to form.

The example user 104 is a person viewing media presented on the examplemedia presentation device 114. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, theexample user 104 is carrying the example mobile device 106. In someexamples, the user 104 is a panelist associated with audience monitoringentity (AME). A panelist is a user registered on panels maintained by anAME that owns and/or operates a ratings entity subsystem. In suchexamples, the AME monitors the user 104 after the user 104 consents tobeing enrolled into a panel. During enrollment, the audience measuremententity receives demographic information from the user 104 so thatsubsequent correlations may be made between advertisement/media exposureto the user 104 and different demographic markets. In some examples, theAME can enroll additional users into the user (e.g., additional usersassociated with the media presentation area 102, etc.).

The example mobile device 106 is a BLE enabled device that admits BLEcommunications. In some examples, the BLE enabled mobile device 106emits advertising packets. As used herein, “an advertising packet” is aperiodically transmitted data packet advertising the existence of themobile device 106. In some examples, mobile device 106 emits advertisingpackets over multiple channels (e.g., 3 channels, etc.). In someexamples, the advertising packets emitted by the BLE enabled mobiledevice 106 contain information (e.g., a user and/or device identifier, aBLE beacon ID, a BLE media access control (MAC) address, etc.) allowingthe identification of the mobile device 106 and/or the user 104. In theillustrated example of FIG. 1, the mobile device 106 is a smart watch.In other examples, the mobile device 106 can be any suitable BLE enableddevice (e.g., a wearable device, smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, etc.).In some examples, an AME can correlate (e.g., during the enroll of theuser 104 into a panel, etc.) the mobile device 106 with the user 104. Insome examples, the presence of advertising packets of the mobile device106 can be correlated with the presence of the user 104. In suchexamples, the AME and/or the media monitor 112 can associate thedemographics of the user 104 with the mobile device 106. In this matter,an AME can credit a demographic group associated with the user 104 withan impression of media when that media is being presented in the mediapresentation area 102 and advertising packets from the mobile device 106are detected in the media presentation area 102.

The example master proximity device 108 is a physical device configuredto capture emitted advertising packets and determine if the user 104 ispresent in the media presentation area 102. For example, the masterproximity device 108 includes the example signal strength monitor 109,which can determine a set of signal strength values (e.g., RSSI values)associated with the emitted advertising packets. In some examples, thesignal strength monitor 109 can sort the determined signal strengthvalues, select a portion of the sorted signal strength values, anddetermine a representative signal strength value. Ins some examples, theexample signal strength monitor 109 can determine if the user 104 ispresent in the media presentation area 102 based on the representativesignal strength value. In some examples, the example signal strengthmonitor 109 can transmit the presence determination to the media monitor112. In such examples, the signal strength monitor 109 can calculate andreport a list of identifiers (e.g., a user identifier, a deviceidentifier, a BLE beacon ID, a BLE MAC address, etc.) associated withthe users 104 and/or devices 106 present in the media presentation area102 in a particular media area. The example master proximity device 108is described in greater detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 2A-5.

The example auxiliary proximity device 110 is a physical device that isconfigured to capture emitted advertising packets. For example, theauxiliary proximity device 110 can determine respective signal strengthvalues (e.g., RSSI values) associated with the corresponding emittedadvertising packets. In some examples, the auxiliary proximity device110 can sort the determined signal strength values, select a portion ofthe sorted signal strength values, and determine a representative signalstrength value (e.g., a second representative signal strength value,etc.). In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the example auxiliaryproximate device 110 transmits the determined representative signalstrength value to the master proximity device 108. In some suchexamples, the master proximity device 108 and/or signal strength monitor109 uses the determined representative signal strength value todetermine if the user 104 was present in the media presentation area102. While the only one auxiliary proximity device 110 is illustrated inFIG. 1, the media presentation area 102 can include any number ofauxiliary proximity device(s) 110. In some examples, increasing thenumber of auxiliary proximity device(s) 110 can increase the accuracy ofthe method, apparatus and/or systems disclosed herein.

The example media monitor 112 is a media monitoring device that isinstalled in the environment 100 to collect records of media consumed inthe example environment 100 (e.g., media consumed by the user 104). Forexample, the media monitor 112 can generate and/or identify mediaidentifiers (e.g., watermarks, media signatures, etc.) associated withmedia presented in the environment 100. In some examples, the mediamonitor 112 can generate a report indicating when users (e.g., the user104, etc.) are present in the media presentation area 102 and what mediais being presented in the media presentation area 102 at a given time.In the illustrated example, the media monitor 112 is in communicationwith the master proximity device 108. Additionally or alternatively, themedia monitor 112 can communicate with the auxiliary proximity device110. In some examples, the media monitor 112 can include some or all ofthe functionality of the master proximity device 108 and/or theauxiliary proximity device 110. In some examples, the master proximitydevice 108, the auxiliary proximity device 110, and/or the media monitor112 is/are installed in the environment 100 by a technician when theuser is enrolled as a panelist by an AME associated with the mediamonitor 112.

The example media presentation device 114 is a device that presentsmedia in the example media presentation area 102. In some examples, theexample media presentation device 114 is capable of directly presentingmedia (e.g., via a display). In other examples, the media presentationdevice 114 can present the media on separate media presentationequipment (e.g., speakers, a display, etc.). Thus, as used herein “mediadevices” may or may not be able to present media without assistance froma second device. Media devices are typically consumer electronicsdevices. For example, the media presentation device 114 can be atelevision and, thus, is capable of directly presenting media (e.g., viaan integrated and/or connected display and speakers). Any other type(s)and/or number(s) of media device(s) can additionally or alternatively bemonitored by the media monitor 112. For example, Internet-enabled mobilehandsets (e.g., a smartphone, an iPod®, etc.), video game consoles(e.g., Xbox One®, PlayStation 4, etc.), tablet computers (e.g., aniPad®, a Motorola™ Xoom™ etc.), digital media players (e.g., a Roku®media player, a Slingbox®, a Tivo®, etc.), smart televisions, desktopcomputers, laptop computers, servers, etc., may additionally oralternatively be monitored by the media monitor 112.

In operation, the master proximity device 108 and/or the auxiliaryproximity device(s) 110 detect example advertising packets 116 emittedby the mobile device 106. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, themaster proximity device 108 includes and/or interfaces with an exampleUWB radar transceiver 120 to detect the physical presence of the user104. In some such examples, the UWB radar transceiver 120 allows themaster proximity device 108 to detect the presence of the user 104 inthe presentation area but does not enable the master proximity device108 to identify the user 104. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, theauxiliary proximity device 110 similarly captures the emittedadvertising packets 116 and transmits example auxiliary signal strengthvalues 118 to the master proximity device 108. The master proximitydevice 108 can analyze the UWB radar transceiver 120 results, theauxiliary signal strength values 118 and the advertising packets 116 todetermine if the user 104 is present in the media presentation area 102.In some examples, the master proximity device 108 can captureadvertising packets 116 emitted by the mobile device 106 when the user104 is not in the media presentation area 102 (e.g., the user 104 is inthe non-presentation area 103, etc.). The master proximity device 108then transmits example presence determinations 122 to the media monitor112. In some examples, the example presence determinations 122 include areport indicating if the user 104 was present in the media presentationarea 102.

FIG. 2A is a front view of the example master proximity device 108 ofFIG. 1 In the illustrated example of FIG. 2A, the example masterproximity device 108 is a free-standing device to be placed in the mediapresentation area 102. In some examples, the master proximity device 108can be incorporated into the media monitor 112 and/or the mediapresentation device 114. In some examples, the location of the masterproximity device 108 is placed in the media presentation area 102 whenthe user 104 is enrolled in the panel. In some examples, the user 104places the device in the media presentation area 102. In other examples,a technician associated with the AME, manufacturer of the masterproximity device 108, and/or the media monitor 112 can install thedevice. In some examples, the technician can map the media presentationarea 102 to ensure the master proximity device 108 is placed in anoptimal part of the media presentation area 102. In some examples, oneor more auxiliary device(s) 110 can be similarly placed in the mediapresentation area 102 by the user and/or technician. In some examples,the auxiliary proximity device 110 can be a same type of device ormodified version of the master proximity device 108 illustrated in FIG.2A. In other examples, the auxiliary proximity device 110 can be anyother suitable device.

FIG. 2B is a rear view of the example master proximity device 108 ofFIG. 1. In the illustrated example of FIG. 2B, the master proximitydevice includes an example first battery pack 202A, an example secondbattery pack 202B and the example signal strength monitor 109 of FIG. 1.

The example battery packs 202A, 202B are battery packs coupled withinthe master proximity device 108 to power the master proximity device108, the signal strength monitor 109. In some examples, the batterypacks 202A, 202B are long-term rechargeable batteries (e.g.,nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium-ion batteries, alkaline, etc.). In theillustrated example, two battery packs 202A, 202B are used to power theexample master proximity device 108. In other examples, any number ofbattery packs can be utilized. In other examples, the battery packs202A, 202B can be absent. In such examples, the example master proximitydevice 108 can be powered by a USB connection, an alternating current(AC) wall connection, etc. In such examples, the master proximity device108 and/or the auxiliary proximity device(s) 110 can be positioned inthe media presentation area 102 to facilitate the powering of the masterproximity device 108 and/or the auxiliary proximity device(s) 110.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 2B, the signal strength monitor 109includes a set of BLE receivers oriented along a corresponding set ofaxes (e.g., a set of receivers configured to capture packets along acorresponding set of polarities, etc.) In other examples, signalstrength monitor 109 can include any other and/or additional suitablemeans for capturing advertising packets (e.g., a receiver, atransceiver, a reflector, etc.). In some examples, signal strengthmonitor 109 can include any additional hardware, software and/orfirmware necessary to process and/or analyze the capture advertisingpackets. In some examples, the master proximity device 108 can includethe advertising packet detector(s). In some examples, the masterproximity device 108 includes multiple advertising packet detector(s)spaced apart at half of the wavelength of the advertising packets. Inother examples, the master proximity device 108 can include multipleadvertising packet detector(s) spaced apart at any suitable distance. Anexample implementation of the signal strength monitor 109 of FIGS. 1 and2B is described below in conjunction with FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the example signal strength monitor 109 ofFIGS. 1 and 2B. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, the signalstrength monitor 109 includes an example first receiver 302, an examplesecond receiver 304, an example third receiver 306 and the exampleprocessing and communication module 308.

The example receivers 302, 304, 306 include radio receivers configuredto capture BLE advertising packets transmitted over a variety oftransmission channels. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, the firstreceiver 302 is configured (e.g., aligned, etc.) to capture advertisingpackets along the x-axis polarity. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3,the second receiver 304 is configured (e.g., aligned, etc.) to captureadvertising packets along the y-axis polarity. In the illustratedexample of FIG. 3, the third receiver 306 is configured (e.g., aligned,etc.) to capture advertising packets along the z-axis polarity. In someexamples, some or all of the receivers 302, 304, 306 can be dipolereceivers.

The example processing and communication module 308 controls thereceivers 302, 304, 306. In some examples, the receivers 302, 304, 306can be deactivated (e.g., in sleep mode, etc.) during inactivity toconserve power. In such examples, the processing and communicationmodule 308 can detect transmitted advertising packets and activate thereceivers 302, 304, 306. In some examples, the example processing andcommunication module 308 can facilitate communication between the masterproximity device 108, the example auxiliary device(s) 110, and/or themedia monitor 112. An example implementation of the processing andcommunication module 308 is described below in conjunction with FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example monitor 400 including the example signalstrength monitor 109 of FIGS. 1, 2B and 3 and the UWB radar transceiver120. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the UWB radar transceiver 120is an ultra-wide band (UWB) pulse radar system and includes any suitablehardware, software and/or firmware necessary to implement a UWB radarsystem. In other examples, the UWB radar transceiver 120 can be absent.In such examples, the example monitor 400 can include any other suitabledetection system (e.g., a short-range radar system, a video analysissystem, etc.).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the UWB radar transceiver 120provides highly precise position and distance determination for the user104 and the example signal strength monitor 109 provides useridentification and position estimation via BLE advertising packets(e.g., the advertising packets include user and/or device identificationinformation, etc.). In some examples, users identified via the examplesignal strength monitor 109 can be correlated with proximity readingsfrom the UWB radar transceiver 120 based on the distance determined bythe UWB radar transceiver 120 and the distance estimated via the signalstrength monitor 109. In this matter, the illustrated example of FIG. 4can combine the user identification of BLE advertising packet monitoringwith precise distance determination of UWB radar transceiver 120 todetermine if the user 104 is present in the media presentation area 102and track the user 104.

FIG. 5 is an is a block diagram representing an example implementationof the example processing and communication module 308 of FIG. 3. Theexample processing and communication module 308 includes an examplereceiver interface 502, an example signal strength value sorter 504, anexample signal strength value selector 506, an example signal strengthcalculator 508, an example auxiliary device interface 510, an exampleradar interface 512, an example presence detector 514, an examplecorrelator 516, an example presence determiner 518, and an examplepresence report generator 520. In other examples, some of all of theexample functionality of the processing and communication module 308 canbe via other components of the example master proximity device 108, theexample auxiliary proximity device 110, the example media monitor 112,the UWB radar transceiver 120, and/or a combination thereof.

The example receiver interface 502 interfaces with the example receivers302, 304, 306 of the signal strength monitor 109 of FIGS. 2B and 3. Insome examples, the receiver interface 502 can receive information (e.g.,RSSI readings, channel information, etc.) associated with advertisingpackets captured by any or all of the receivers 302, 304, 306. In someexamples, the receiver interface 502 can associate a polarity with eachof the receivers 302, 304, 306. For example, the receiver interface 502can associate the first receiver 302 with an “x” polarity (e.g., a firstpolarity), the second receiver 304 with a “y” polarity (e.g., a secondpolarity), and the third receiver 306 with a “z” antenna (e.g., a thirdpolarity). In some examples, the receiver interface 502 can also receiveinformation from other receivers (e.g., receivers associated with theauxiliary device 110, additional receivers associated with the masterproximity device 108, etc.). In some examples, the receiver interface502 can receive data formatted in an analog format (e.g., voltagevariations, etc.). In such examples, the receiver interface 502 canconvert the captured information into a digital and/or human-readableformat.

The example signal strength value sorter 504 sorts received signalstrength values. For example, the signal strength value sorter 504 cansort the signal strength value of value at each antenna on each channel.For example, if the signal strength value sorter 504 is determining theRSSI associated with advertising packets received by the receivers 302,304, 306 on three BLE channels, the signal strength value sorter 504will sort nine RSSI values, namely (1) a first RSSI value associatedwith the first receiver 302 and the first channel, (2) a second RSSIvalue associated with the first receiver 302 and the second channel, (3)a third RSSI value associated with the first receiver 302 and the thirdchannel, (4) a fourth RSSI value associated with the second receiver 304and the first channel, (5) a fifth RSSI value associated with the secondreceiver 304 and the second channel, (6) a sixth RSSI value associatedwith the second receiver 304 and the third channel, (7) a seventh RSSIvalue associated with the third receiver 306 and the first channel, (8)a eighth RSSI value associated with the third receiver 306 and thesecond channel, (9) a ninth RSSI value associated with the thirdreceiver 306 and the third channel. In some such examples, the signalstrength value sorter 504 sorts the nine signal strength values based onthe magnitude of the signal strength values. In some examples, thesignal strength value sorter 504 can sort RSSI values from the auxiliarydevices(s) 110.

The example signal strength value selector 506 selects a portion of thesorted signal strength value. For example, the signal strength valueselector 506 can select an upper portion (e.g., a half, a fourth, etc.)of the sorted signal values. In other examples, the signal strengthvalue selector 506 can select any other suitable portion of the sortedsignal strength. In some examples, the signal strength value selector506 can select a portion of sorted signal values based on an associatedchannel and/or polarity. In some examples, the signal strength valueselector 506 can select a portion of the sorted signal strength valuesby removing outliers (e.g., removing the highest signal strength values,removing the lowest signal strength values, removing signal strengthvalues exceeding a standard deviation, etc.).

The example signal strength calculator 508 calculates a representativesignal strength value (e.g., a representative RSSI value, etc.) based onthe selected portion of the signal strength values. For example, theexample signal strength calculator 508 can calculate the representativesignal strength value by calculating the arithmetic mean of the selectedportion of the signal strength values. In some examples, the signalstrength calculator 508 can weigh some of or all of the selected portionof the signal strength values. For example, the signal strengthcalculator 508 can weight a signal strength value based on the signalstrength value's associated channel and/or polarity. In other examples,the signal strength calculator 508 can determine the representativesignal strength value by any other suitable means (e.g., calculating ageometric mean, calculating a harmonic mean, determining a median value,etc.).

The example auxiliary device interface 510 facilitates communicationbetween the master proximity device 108 and/or the signal strengthmonitor 109 and the auxiliary device(s) 110. For example, the auxiliarydevice interface 510 can be implemented by a LAN connection (e.g.,Wi-Fi, a physical connection, etc.). In some examples, the auxiliarydevice interface 510 can be implemented via BLE communication interface.In some examples, the auxiliary device interface 510 allows the masterproximity device 108 and/or the signal strength monitor 109 to receiveRSSI information (e.g., a second representative signal strength value,additional unsorted signal strength values, etc.). In some examples, theauxiliary device interface 510 can receive or transmit any othersuitable information. In some examples, the auxiliary device interface510 can be absent. In such examples, no auxiliary device(s) 110 arepresent in the media presentation area 102 or the master proximitydevice 108 and/or the signal strength monitor 109 communicates with theauxiliary device(s) 110 via any other suitable means (e.g.,communicating via the media monitor 112, etc.).

The example radar interface 512 facilitates communication between themaster proximity device 108 and the UWB radar transceiver 120. Forexample, the example radar interface 512 can be implemented by a LANconnection (e.g., Wi-Fi, a physical connection, etc.). In some examples,the example radar interface 512 can be implemented via BLE communicationinterface. In some examples, the example radar interface 512 can receivepresence determinations from the UWB radar transceiver 120. In someexamples, the example radar interface 512 can receive or transmit anyother suitable information. In some examples, the example radarinterface 512 can be absent. In such examples, the master proximitydevice 108 communicates with the UWB radar transceiver 120 via any othersuitable means (e.g., communicating via the media monitor 112, etc.).

The example presence detector 514 can analyze the information from theUWB radar transceiver 120 to determine if the user 104 is present in themedia presentation area 102. For example, the presence detector 514 cananalyze UWB radar readings to determine if the user 104 is present inthe media presentation area. In some examples, the presence detector 514can make a presence determination (e.g., a determination if the user 104is in the media presentation area 102, a second presence determination,etc.). In some examples, the presence detector 514 can determine thepresence of multiple users in the media presentation area. In someexamples, the presence detector 514 can determine the distance the user104 is from the master proximity device 108.

The example correlator 516 correlates the presence determination made bythe presence detector 514 and the user(s) identified by the presencedeterminer 518. For example, the correlator 516 can compare theestimated distance of an identified user 104 identified by the presencedeterminer 518 and the distance determined by the presence detector 514to determine if the presence detector 514 and the presence determiner518 are detected the same person. In some such examples, the correlator516 can correlate the presence determinations made the presence detector514 and the presence determiner 518 by comparing the determineddistances to a threshold. In some examples, after the presencedeterminations made the presence detector 514 and the presencedeterminer 518 have been correlated by the correlator 516, thecorrelator 516 can track the user 104 using the user/device identifierreceived via presence determiner 518 and distance/location determinationdetermined by the presence detector 514.

The example presence determiner 518 determines a presence determination(e.g., a first presence determination, etc.) based on the representativesignal strength value determined by the signal strength calculator 508.For example, the presence determiner 518 can estimate the distance tothe transmitting source of the advertising packet using the signalstrength value. For example, the signal strength calculator 508 can useEquation (1) and the representative signal strength value to calculatethe distance:

$\begin{matrix}{D = 10^{\frac{C - {RSSI}}{10*n}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where C is the reference transmit power at the source (e.g., the poweras measured at distance of one meter from the device assuming anomnidirectional antenna, etc.), n is the propagation constant (e.g., 2in free space, etc.), D is the distance and RSSI is the representativesignal strength value. In other examples, the signal strength calculator508 can estimate the distance associated with the transmittedadvertising packets via any other suitable means. In some examples, thepresence determiner 518 can make a presence determination based on thedetermined distance. In some examples, the presence determiner 518 candetermine an identity associated with the captured advertising packets(e.g., using a user/device identifier, a BLE beacon ID, a MAC address,etc.).

The example presence report generator 520 transmits the presencedeterminations determined by the example presence detector 514, theexample correlator 516, the example presence determiner 518 to the mediamonitor 112. For example, the presence report generator 520 can generatea report indicating when the user 104 was present in the mediapresentation area 102 to the media monitor 112. In some examples, thepresence report generator 520 can also transmit a report indicating ifany additional users were present in the media presentation area 102.

While an example manner of implementing the processing and communicationmodule 308 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in FIG. 5, one or more of theelements, processes and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 4 may becombined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implementedin any other way. Further, the example receiver interface 502, theexample signal strength value sorter 504, the example signal strengthvalue selector 506, the example signal strength calculator 508, theexample auxiliary device interface 510, the example radar interface 512,the example presence detector 514, the example correlator 516, theexample presence determiner 518, the example presence reporter 520and/or, more generally, the example processing and communication module308 of FIG. 3 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware and/orany combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, forexample, any of the example receiver interface 502, the example signalstrength value sorter 504, the example signal strength value selector506, the example signal strength calculator 508, the example auxiliarydevice interface 510, the example radar interface 512, the examplepresence detector 514, the example correlator 516, the example presencedeterminer 518, the example presence reporter 520 and/or, moregenerally, the example processing and communication module 308 could beimplemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), programmable controller(s), graphicsprocessing unit(s) (GPU(s)), digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)),application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), programmable logicdevice(s) (PLD(s)) and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)).When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent tocover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one ofthe example receiver interface 502, the example signal strength valuesorter 504, the example signal strength value selector 506, the examplesignal strength calculator 508, the example auxiliary device interface510, the example radar interface 512, the example presence detector 514,the example correlator 516, the example presence determiner 518, theexample presence reporter 520 is/are hereby expressly defined to includea non-transitory computer readable storage device or storage disk suchas a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), aBlu-ray disk, etc. including the software and/or firmware. Furtherstill, the example processing and communication module 308 of FIGS. 1-3may include one or more elements, processes and/or devices in additionto, or instead of, those illustrated in FIG. 5, and/or may include morethan one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes anddevices. As used herein, the phrase “in communication,” includingvariations thereof, encompasses direct communication and/or indirectcommunication through one or more intermediary components, and does notrequire direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and/or constantcommunication, but rather additionally includes selective communicationat periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and/orone-time events.

Flowcharts representative of example hardware logic, machine readableinstructions, hardware implemented state machines, and/or anycombination thereof for implementing the processing and communicationmodule 308 of FIG. 1-3 are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The machine readableinstructions may be one or more executable programs or portion(s) of anexecutable program for execution by a computer processor such as theprocessor 812 shown in the example processor platform 800 discussedbelow in connection with FIG. 8. The program may be embodied in softwarestored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as aCD-ROM, a floppy disk, a hard drive, a DVD, a Blu-ray disk, or a memoryassociated with the processor 812, but the entire program and/or partsthereof could alternatively be executed by a device other than theprocessor 812 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware.Further, although the example program is described with reference to theflowchart illustrated in FIGS. 6-7, many other methods of implementingthe example processing and communication module 308 may alternatively beused. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed,and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, orcombined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may beimplemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and/orintegrated analog and/or digital circuitry, an FPGA, an ASIC, acomparator, an operational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit, etc.)structured to perform the corresponding operation without executingsoftware or firmware.

The machine readable instructions described herein may be stored in oneor more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmentedformat, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, etc.Machine readable instructions as described herein may be stored as data(e.g., portions of instructions, code, representations of code, etc.)that may be utilized to create, manufacture, and/or produce machineexecutable instructions. For example, the machine readable instructionsmay be fragmented and stored on one or more storage devices and/orcomputing devices (e.g., servers). The machine readable instructions mayrequire one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating,combining, supplementing, configuring, decryption, decompression,unpacking, distribution, reassignment, compilation, etc. in order tomake them directly readable, interpretable, and/or executable by acomputing device and/or other machine. For example, the machine readableinstructions may be stored in multiple parts, which are individuallycompressed, encrypted, and stored on separate computing devices, whereinthe parts when decrypted, decompressed, and combined form a set ofexecutable instructions that implement a program such as that describedherein.

In another example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in astate in which they may be read by a computer, but require addition of alibrary (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit(SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc. in order toexecute the instructions on a particular computing device or otherdevice. In another example, the machine readable instructions may needto be configured (e.g., settings stored, data input, network addressesrecorded, etc.) before the machine readable instructions and/or thecorresponding program(s) can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, thedisclosed machine readable instructions and/or corresponding program(s)are intended to encompass such machine readable instructions and/orprogram(s) regardless of the particular format or state of the machinereadable instructions and/or program(s) when stored or otherwise at restor in transit.

The machine readable instructions described herein can be represented byany past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language,programming language, etc. For example, the machine readableinstructions may be represented using any of the following languages: C,C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language(HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 6-7 may beimplemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and/or machinereadable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/ormachine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, aread-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, arandom-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering,and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the termnon-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to includeany type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and toexclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media.

“Including” and “comprising” (and all forms and tenses thereof) are usedherein to be open ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any formof “include” or “comprise” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising,including, having, etc.) as a preamble or within a claim recitation ofany kind, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc.may be present without falling outside the scope of the correspondingclaim or recitation. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is usedas the transition term in, for example, a preamble of a claim, it isopen-ended in the same manner as the term “comprising” and “including”are open ended. The term “and/or” when used, for example, in a form suchas A, B, and/or C refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C such as(1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) Bwith C, and (7) A with B and with C. As used herein in the context ofdescribing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the contextof describing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, thephrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementationsincluding any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, and (3) atleast one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context ofdescribing the performance or execution of processes, instructions,actions, activities and/or steps, the phrase “at least one of A and B”is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at leastone A, (2) at least one B, and (3) at least one A and at least one B.Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the performanceor execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities and/orsteps, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer toimplementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B,and (3) at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a”, “an”, “first”, “second”,etc.) do not exclude a plurality. The term “a” or “an” entity, as usedherein, refers to one or more of that entity. The terms “a” (or “an”),“one or more”, and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means,elements or method actions may be implemented by, e.g., a single unit orprocessor. Additionally, although individual features may be included indifferent examples or claims, these may possibly be combined, and theinclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that acombination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous.

FIG. 6 includes an example process 600 to implement the exampleprocessing and communication module 308 of FIG. 5. The example process600 begins at block 602. At block 602, the example receiver interface502 determines RSSI values for each receiver based on the received BLEadvertising packets associated with wearable BLE mobile device 106. Forexample, the receiver interface 502 can receive analog measurements ofBLE advertising packets captured by the receivers 302, 304, 306. In someexamples, the transmitted advertising packets allow the master proximitydevice to identify the user (e.g., the user 104) associated with theadvertising packets. In some examples, the receiver interface 502 candetermine the RSSI values associated with multiple polarities (e.g.,associated with each axis of a multi-axis sensor) and along the threechannels used by BLE devices are transmitted over. In some examples, thereceiver interface 502 can receive RSSI values for multiple sensorarrays and/or proximity devices (e.g., the master proximity device 108and/or auxiliary device, etc.).

At block 604, the example signal strength value sorter 504 sorts RSSIvalues by signal strength. For example, the signal strength value sorter504 can sort the determined RSSI values based on their signal strength.In some examples, the example signal strength value sorter 504 can sortthe received RSSI values (e.g., associated with a polarity and achannel, etc.) from highest RSSI value to lowest RSSI value, or viceversa.

At block 606, the signal strength value selector 506 selects a portionof RSSI values. For example, the signal strength value selector 506 canselect a top half of the sorted RSSI values. In other examples, thesignal strength value selector 506 can select any other portion of thesorted RSSI values (e.g., a middle portion, a lower portion, etc.).Additionally or alternatively, the signal strength value selector 506can select the sorted RSSI based any other relevant properties of thesorted RSSI values (e.g., a channel, a polarity, comparing the RSSIvalues to a threshold, etc.).

At block 608, the example signal strength calculator 508 calculatesrepresentative RSSI value from the selected portion of RSSI values. Forexample, the signal strength calculator 508 can calculate a mean of theselected portion of the RSSI values. In other examples, the signalstrength calculator 508 can calculate a representative RSSI value by anyother suitable means (e.g., a geometric mean, a harmonic mean, a median,etc.). In some examples, the signal strength calculator 508 can beweighted or otherwise preference particular values of the sorted RSSIvalues (e.g., weighted by channel, weighted by polarity, weighted byoriginating device, etc.).

At block 610, the auxiliary device interface 510 determines if there areadditional proximity detector(s) are present. For example, the auxiliarydevice interface 510 if the auxiliary proximity device 110 is presentand/or power on. If the auxiliary device interface 510 determines thatan additional proximity detector is present, the process 600 advances toblock 612. If the auxiliary device interface 510 determines that anadditional proximity detector is not present, the process 600 advancesto block 616.

At block 612, the auxiliary device interface 510 receives data from theauxiliary proximity device(s) 110. For example, the auxiliary deviceinterface 510 can receive a representative RSSI value from the auxiliaryproximity device 110. In some examples, the auxiliary device interface510 can receive other RSSI values from the auxiliary proximity device110 (e.g., unsorted RSSI values, sorted RSSI values, etc.). In someexamples, the auxiliary device interface 510 can receive any othersuitable information from the auxiliary proximity device 110.

At block 614, the presence determiner 518 combines received data andrepresentative RSSI (e.g., a first RSSI value, etc.) value to determineif the user 104 of the wearable mobile device 106 is present in mediapresentation area 102. For example, the presence determiner 518 candetermine another representative RSSI value (e.g., a second RSSI value,etc.) based on the RSSI values determined by the receiver interface 502and RSSI values received from the auxiliary proximity device 110. Insuch examples, the signal strength value 504 can sort the RSSI valuesreceived from the auxiliary proximate device 110 and the signal strengthcalculator 508 can calculate another representative RSSI value based onthe combined sorted RSSI values. In some examples, the presencedeterminer 518 can receive a second representative RSSI value associatedwith the auxiliary device 110. In such examples, the presence determiner518 can determine if a user is present based on the first representativeRSSI and the second representative RSSI value.

At block 616, the presence determiner 518 determines if the user ispresent based on the representative RSSI value. For example, thepresence determiner 518 can compare the representative RSSI value to athreshold value. In such examples, if the RSSI value satisfies (e.g.,exceeds, etc.) the threshold, the presence determiner 518 can determinethat a user was present in the media presentation area 102. In suchexamples, if the RSSI value does not satisfy (e.g., does not exceed,etc.) the threshold, the presence determiner 518 can determine that auser was not present in the media presentation area 102. In someexamples, the threshold corresponds to a distance (e.g., a relationshipdefined via Equation 1, etc.). In some examples, the threshold can varybased on the mobile device 106 (e.g., vary based on the type of mobiledevice 106, vary based on a specific mobile device, etc.). In someexamples, the threshold can be dynamic. For example, the threshold canchange based on a configuration of the environment 100 (e.g., theposition of obstructions, the presence of additional users, etc.). Insuch examples, sensor data from the UWB radar transceiver 120 can beused to actively calibrate the dynamic threshold. In other examples, thepresence determiner 518 can use the combined data from the masterproximity device 108 and one or more auxiliary proximity device(s) 110to determine if a user was present in the media presentation area. Forexample, the presence determiner 518 can compare the combinedrepresentative RSSI value based on the combined sorted RSSI values tothe threshold. In some examples, the presence determiner 518 can use avoting system to combine the received data and the representative RSSIvalue. For example, the presence determiner 518 can compare eachrepresentative RSSI value to a threshold (e.g., the same threshold, adifferent threshold corresponding to each proximity device, etc.). Insuch examples, if a sufficient quantity (e.g., a majority, etc.) satisfythe threshold(s), the presence determiner 518 determines a user ispresent. In other examples, the presence determiner 518 can use anyother suitable method to determine if a user is present (e.g.,trilateration, fingerprinting techniques, machine learning techniques,etc.).

At block 618, the presence determiner 518 determines if the presencedetermination is to be bolstered with UWB radar measurements. Forexample, the presence determiner 518 can determine if UWB radarmeasurements are available. In other examples, the presence determiner518 can generate a confidence value of the presence determination (e.g.,the amount the representative RSSI value exceeds the threshold, etc.).In such examples, if the confidence value is below a confidencethreshold, the presence determiner can use the UWB radar measurements tobolster the presence determination. If the presence determiner 518determines that the presence determination is to be bolstered with UWBradar measurements, the process 600 advances to block 620. If thepresence determiner 518 determines that the presence determination isnot to be bolstered with UWB radar measurements, the process 600advances to block 622.

At block 620, the radar interface 512, the presence detector 514, thepresence determiner 518 and the correlator 516 bolster the presencedetermination with ultra-wide band radar. An example execution of block620 is described in greater detail below in conjunction with the process700 of FIG. 7.

At block 622, presence report generator 520 transmits the presencedetermination to the media monitor 112. For example, the presence reportgenerator 520 can transmit a record of what users where present in themedia presentation area at a particular time to media monitor 112. Insuch examples, the presence report generator 520 can determine theidentity of the present user(s) using the advertising packets associatedwith the RSSI values. In other examples, the presence report generator520 can transmit any other suitable information of the media monitor112.

FIG. 7 includes an example process 700 to implement block 620 of theexample process 600. The example process begins at block 702. At block702, the radar interface 512 can receive radar readings from the UWBradar transceiver 120. In some examples, the radar interface 512 canreceive radar readings from any other suitable source.

At block 704, the presence detector 514 detects the presence of the userwith the UWB radar transceiver 120. For example, the presence detector514 can analyze the receive UWB radar readings to determine if a user ispresent in the media presentation area 102. For example, the presencedetector 514 can analyze the returned pulses associated with the UWBradar transceiver 120 to determine if a user is present in the mediapresentation area 102, In some examples, the presence detector 514 cantrack an identified user using the radar readings.

At block 706, the correlator 516 correlates the UWB radar detection withthe RSSI presence detection. For example, the correlator 516 cancorrelate a user detected via the presence detector 514 (e.g., viaradar, etc.) and the presence determiner 518 (e.g., via BLE advertisingpackets, etc.) based a timing of when a user is detected. For example,if the presence detector 514 and the presence determiner 518 detect auser within a threshold time period of one another, the correlator 516can determine that the presence detector 514 and the presence determiner518 detected the same user (e.g., pair the readings from the presencedetector 514 and the presence determiner 518, etc.). For example, thecorrelator 518 can pair readings from the UWB transceiver 120 indicatinga user is approaching the master proximity device 108 with an increasingrepresentative RSSI value determined by the signal strength calculator508. For example, the correlator 518 can pair readings from the UWBtransceiver 120 indicating a user is moving away from the masterproximity device 108 with a decreasing representative RSSI valuedetermined by the signal strength calculator 508. In some examples, thecorrelator 516 can assign a confidence value to an association betweenreadings of the UWB radar transceiver 120 and the determination made bythe presence detector 514. For example, if presence determiner 518determines the user 104 is present in the presentation area 102 and thereadings from the UWB radar transceiver 120 do indicate a user ispresent, the correlator 516 can assign a low confidence value tolikelihood the user 104 is present in the media presentation area 102.In some examples, if the readings of the UWB radar transceiver 120indicates a user is present in the media presentation area 102 and thepresence detector 514 does not indicate the user 104 is present, thecorrelator 516 can determine that a user other than the user 104 ispresent the media presentation area 102. In some examples, the benefitsof UWB detection (e.g., accuracy, etc.) can be combined with thebenefits of advertising packets tracking (e.g., user identification,etc.). In such examples, the readings of the UWB radar transceiver 120can be used to track (e.g., determine when the user 104 enters andleaves the media presentation area 102, etc.) after the readings of theUWB radar transceiver 120 have been paired (e.g., correlated, etc.) withthe user 104 identified via the presence determiner 518. In someexamples, after pairing readings, the broadcast interval of theadvertising packets by the mobile device 106 can be increased topreserve battery life of the mobile device 106.

At block 708, the presence determiner 518 tracks the identifiedcorrelation of UWB radar and RSSI detection. For example, the presencedeterminer 518 can track the identified user 104 as the user 104 movesabout the media presentation area 102. For example, the presencedeterminer 518 can identify when the user 104 enters and leaves the roombased on the UWB radar readings. In such examples, the presencedeterminer 518 can determine when a user 104 leaves the mediapresentation area 102. The process 700 then returns to the exampleprocess 600.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 800structured to execute the instructions of FIGS. 6-7 to implement theprocessing and communication module 308 of FIGS. 3 and 5. The processorplatform 1000 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, aworkstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobiledevice (e.g., a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet such as an iPad™), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a DVD player, aCD player, a digital video recorder, a Blu-ray player, a gaming console,a personal video recorder, a set top box, a headset or other wearabledevice, or any other type of computing device.

The processor platform 800 of the illustrated example includes aprocessor 812. The processor 812 of the illustrated example is hardware.For example, the processor 812 can be implemented by one or moreintegrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, orcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The hardwareprocessor may be a semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) device. Inthis example, the processor implements the example signal strength valuesorter 504, the example signal strength value selector 506, the examplesignal strength calculator 508, the example presence detector 514, theexample correlator 516, the example presence determiner 518, and theexample presence report generator 520.

The processor 812 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 813(e.g., a cache). The processor 812 of the illustrated example is incommunication with a main memory including a volatile memory 814 and anon-volatile memory 816 via a bus 818. The volatile memory 814 may beimplemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS® Dynamic Random Access Memory(RDRAM®) and/or any other type of random access memory device. Thenon-volatile memory 816 may be implemented by flash memory and/or anyother desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 814, 816is controlled by a memory controller.

The processor platform 800 of the illustrated example also includes aninterface circuit 820. The interface circuit 820 may be implemented byany type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), a Bluetooth® interface, a near fieldcommunication (NFC) interface, and/or a PCI express interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 822 are connectedto the interface circuit 820. The input device(s) 822 permit(s) a userto enter data and/or commands into the processor 812. The inputdevice(s) can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, amicrophone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, atouchscreen, a track-pad, a trackball, isopoint and/or a voicerecognition system.

One or more output devices 824 are also connected to the interfacecircuit 820 of the illustrated example. The output devices 824 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a cathode ray tube display (CRT), an in-place switching(IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printerand/or speaker. The interface circuit 820 of the illustrated example,thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chipand/or a graphics driver processor.

The interface circuit 820 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem, a residential gateway, a wireless access point, and/or a networkinterface to facilitate exchange of data with external machines (e.g.,computing devices of any kind) via a network 826. The communication canbe via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line(DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, asatellite system, a line-of-site wireless system, a cellular telephonesystem, etc. In this example, the interface circuit 820 implements theexample receiver interface 502, the example auxiliary device interface510, and the example radar interface 512.

The processor platform 800 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 828 for storing software and/or data.Examples of such mass storage devices 828 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundantarray of independent disks (RAID) systems, and digital versatile disk(DVD) drives.

The machine executable instructions 832 of FIGS. 6 and 7 may be storedin the mass storage device 828, in the volatile memory 814, in thenon-volatile memory 816, and/or on a removable non-transitory computerreadable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

Example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture formultimodal audience detection and identification are disclosed herein.Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

Example 1 includes a proximity detection apparatus, the apparatuscomprising a signal strength value selector to select a portion of a setof signal strength values associated with advertising packets from adevice associated with a user, the advertising packets captured by amulti-axis receiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, asignal strength calculator to calculate a first representative signalstrength value based on the selected portion of signal strength values,and a presence determiner to determine a presence of the user based onwhether the first representative signal strength value satisfies athreshold.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the set of signalstrength values includes signal strength values from one or moreadvertising channels and the plurality of different signalpolarizations.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the presencedeterminer is further to determine demographics associated with the userbased on the advertising packets, and further including a presencereport generator to generate a report to indicate whether the presenceof the user was detected.

Example 4 includes the apparatus of example 3, wherein the presence is afirst presence, and further including a presence detector to detect asecond presence of the user based on a radar reading, and a correlatorto correlate the first presence and the second presence, the correlationassociating the demographics of the user with the second presence, andtrack the user via the second presence.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of example 3, wherein the presencereport generator is to transmit the report to a media meter, the mediameter to conduct media monitoring based on the report.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of example 1, further including anauxiliary device interface to receive a second representative signalstrength value from an auxiliary device, and the presence determiner todetermine the presence based on the second representative signalstrength value.

Example 7 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the advertisingpackets are Bluetooth advertising packets and the signal strength valuesare received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values.

Example 8 includes a method comprising selecting a portion of a set ofsignal strength values associated with advertising packets from a deviceassociated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axisreceiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations, calculating afirst representative signal strength value based on the selected portionof signal strength values, and determining a presence of the user basedon whether the first representative signal strength value satisfies athreshold.

Example 9 includes the method of example 8, wherein the set of signalstrength values includes signal strength values from one or moreadvertising channels and the plurality of different signalpolarizations.

Example 10 includes the method of example 8, further includingdetermining demographics associated with the user based on theadvertising packets, and further including a presence report generatorto generate a report to indicate whether the presence of the user wasdetected.

Example 11 includes the method of example 10, wherein the presence is afirst presence, and further including detecting a second presence of theuser based on a radar reading, and correlating the first presence andthe second presence, the correlation associating the demographics of theuser with the second presence, and tracking the user via the secondpresence.

Example 12 includes the method of example 10, further includingtransmitting the report to a media meter, the media meter to conductmedia monitoring based on the report.

Example 13 includes the method of example 8, further including receivinga second representative signal strength value from an auxiliary device,and determining the presence based on the second representative signalstrength value.

Example 14 includes the method of example 8, wherein the advertisingpackets are Bluetooth advertising packets and the signal strength valuesare received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values.

Example 15 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least selecta portion of a set of signal strength values associated with advertisingpackets from a device associated with a user, the advertising packetscaptured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signalpolarizations, calculate a first representative signal strength valuebased on the selected portion of signal strength values, and determine apresence of the user based on whether the first representative signalstrength value satisfies a threshold.

Example 16 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 15, wherein the set of signal strength values includes signalstrength values from one or more advertising channels and the pluralityof different signal polarizations.

Example 17 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor todetermine demographics associated with the user based on the advertisingpackets, and further including a presence report generator to generate areport to indicate whether the presence of the user was detected.

Example 18 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 17, wherein the presence is a first presence, and theinstructions further cause the processor to detect a second presence ofthe user based on a radar reading, and correlate the first presence andthe second presence, the correlation associating the demographics of theuser with the second presence, and track the user via the secondpresence.

Example 19 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor totransmit the report to a media meter, the media meter to conduct mediamonitoring based on the report.

Example 20 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium ofexample 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor toreceive a second representative signal strength value from an auxiliarydevice, and determine the presence based on the second representativesignal strength value.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture have been disclosed for multimodalaudience detection and identification. Example methods, apparatus andarticles of manufacture disclosed herein improve the efficiency of usinga computing device by enabling the tracking of panelists usingadvertising packets from mobile/wearable BLE devices and/or UWB radar.Examples disclosed herein improve the accuracy of distance determinationbased on advertising packet by calculating a representative signalstrength value based on combining signal strengths captured on multiplepolarities, channels and/or devices (e.g., locations, etc.). Thedisclosed methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture are accordinglydirected to one or more improvement(s) in the functioning of a computer.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

The following claims are hereby incorporated into this DetailedDescription by this reference, with each claim standing on its own as aseparate embodiment of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A proximity detection apparatus, the apparatuscomprising: at least one memory; instructions in the apparatus; andprocessor circuitry to execute the instructions to: select a portion ofa set of signal strength values associated with advertising packets froma device, the device associated with a user, the advertising packetscaptured by a multi-axis receiver on a plurality of different signalpolarizations; calculate a first representative signal strength valuebased on the selected portion of signal strength values; and determine apresence of the user based on whether the first representative signalstrength value satisfies a threshold.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the set of signal strength values includes signal strengthvalues from one or more advertising channels and the plurality ofdifferent signal polarizations.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor circuitry is to: determine demographics associated with theuser based on the advertising packets; and generate a report to indicatewhether the presence of the user was detected.
 4. The apparatus of claim3, wherein the presence is a first presence, and the processor circuitryis to: detect a second presence of the user based on a radar reading;correlate the first presence and the second presence to associate thedemographics of the user with the second presence; and track the uservia the second presence.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein theprocessor circuitry is to transmit the report to a media meter, themedia meter to conduct media monitoring based on the report.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuitry is to: access asecond representative signal strength value from an auxiliary device;and determine the presence based on the second representative signalstrength value and on whether the first representative signal strengthvalue satisfies the threshold.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theadvertising packets are Bluetooth advertising packets, and the signalstrength values are received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values. 8.An apparatus comprising: means for selecting a portion of a set ofsignal strength values associated with advertising packets from a deviceassociated with a user, the advertising packets captured by a multi-axisreceiver on a plurality of different signal polarizations; means forcalculating a first representative signal strength value based on theselected portion of signal strength values; and means for determining apresence of the user based on whether the first representative signalstrength value satisfies a threshold.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the set of signal strength values includes signal strengthvalues from one or more advertising channels and the plurality ofdifferent signal polarizations.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, furtherincluding means for determining demographics associated with the userbased on the advertising packets, and further including means forgenerating a presence report to generate a report to indicate whetherthe presence of the user was detected.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the presence is a first presence, and further including: meansfor detecting a second presence of the user based on a radar reading;means for correlating the first presence and the second presence, thecorrelation associating the demographics of the user with the secondpresence; and means for tracking the user via the second presence. 12.The apparatus of claim 10, further including means for transmitting thereport to a media meter, the media meter to conduct media monitoringbased on the report.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, further including:means for receiving a second representative signal strength value froman auxiliary device; and means for determining the presence based on thesecond representative signal strength value.
 14. The apparatus of claim8, wherein the advertising packets are Bluetooth advertising packets andthe signal strength values are received signal strength indicator (RSSI)values.
 15. An apparatus comprising: a mobile device located in a mediapresentation area; a master proximity device including a signal strengthmonitor, the master proximity device located in the media presentationarea and in communication with the mobile device; and auxiliaryproximity device located in the media presentation area and incommunication with the mobile device, the master proximity device andthe auxiliary proximity device to detect advertising packets emitted bythe mobile device to detect a presence of the user in the mediapresentation area.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the mobiledevice is a Bluetooth enabled device that admits Bluetoothcommunications.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the masterproximity device is to communicate with the mobile device to detect thepresence of the mobile device, and wherein the master proximity devicedoes not identify an identity of a user carrying the mobile device whendetecting the presence of the mobile device.
 18. The apparatus of claim17, wherein the master proximity device includes an ultra-wide bandradar transceiver to communicate with the mobile device to detect thepresence of the mobile device in the media presentation area.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein the auxiliary proximity device is tocapture emitted advertising packets from the mobile device and is totransmit auxiliary signal strength values associated with the capturedemitted advertising packets to the master proximity device.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 19, wherein the master proximity device is to analyzeresults from the ultra-wide band radar transceiver, the auxiliary signalstrength values from the auxiliary proximity device, and the advertisingpackets to determine if the user is present in the media presentationarea.